Baseball catching and throwing cup for attachment to a bat or other article



Feb 9, 1965 c. GENJACK 3,%, v

BASEBALL CATCHING AND maowms cu? FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BAT OR OTHERARTICLE Filed April 3. 1961 mun/roe BY y .5 ,4 HTIDRNEW V placed in thecup.

' rates This invention relates to game apparatus to be used with a ball,and particularly with a baseball.

An object of the present invention is the provision'of game apparatus bythe use of which a child or anyone else may practice batting in order toimprove it, as well as amuse himself.

Another object is the provision of game apparatus which may be appliedto an article, such as a baseball bat or a hand, for catching andthrowing a ball.

A further object is the provision of game apparatus including a ball batwhich enables a child to grasp the bat properly for batting and .then toflip the ball into the air without releasing his grip in order to swingat the ball in accordance with correct batting procedure.

This ball game apparatus may be used on a hand for catching and throwinga ball, or it may be used in com bination with a ball bat for battingpractice and amusement. When associated with a bat, it may also be usedfor catching and throwing a ball somewhat in the same manner as alacrosse stick. The apparatus includes a shallow cup for receiving andholding a ball, and grip ping means secured to the cup at the bottomthereof for holding it on a bat or hand for movement therewith. Forexample, if the gripping means is used to hold the cup on a bat, the cupis usually positioned near the outer end of the hat. The bat is heldin asubstantially horizontal plane with the cup opening upwardly, and theball is If a child is attempting to irnprove his batting, he can gripthe bat properly with both hands. Then he flips the ball into the air byswinging the bat upwardly and suddenly stopping the movement. The ballis'tossed or flipped'high enough to enable him to swing the batbackwardly and then forwardly in time to connect with the ball in the.usual manner. Thus, the apparatus eliminates the necessity-'ofa childvusing one hand to toss the ball into the air in order to strike it asis:usually done during batting practice, or when batting a ball forpleasure. The'cup preferably" is tilted forwardly on the bat relative tothe batter so that when the ball is flipped upwardly, it goes fairlystraight up rather than towards said batter.

Although the cup is relatively small, it is large enough to enable aperson holding the bat to catch a ball in it which has been thrown tohim. He can also throw the ball by wielding the bat in somewhat the samemanner as a lacrosse stick. In addition to this, the cup may be removedfrom the bat and used in a hand for catching and throwing a ball.

Examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which,

FIGURE 1 is a reduced elevation of the game apparatus including a bat,illustrating how it is held before the ball is flipped into the air,

FIGURE '2 is a perspective view of apparatus on a hand,

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the game apparatus,

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the apparatus, Y I

FIGURE 5 is an elevation substantially at right angles to the elevationof FIGURE 4,

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 7 is a bottom plan view form of game apparatus.

the ball game of an alternative I outside the cup bottom.

a by swinging the bat in an upward direction.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 6 of the drawin s, 10 is a ball game apparatusincluding a shallow cup 11. This cup has a bottom 12 and an annular wall13 projecting out Wardly therefrom. The cup bottom and annular wall forma socket 116 for receiving a ball 17, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. .Arelatively large groove 20 extends across the outer surface of bottom12, said groove preferably being transversely curved in cross section,as indicated at 22 in FIGURE 4. The groove also is longitudinallyinclined relative to cup bottom 12, the angle of inclination beingindicated at 23 in FIGURE 6.

A suitable gripping means is attached to cup 11 to hold the latter on anarticle, such as a bat 25 in FIGURE 1, or a hand 27in FIGURE 2. Thisgripping means is preferably in the form of an elastic band 30 which isadapted to extend around the bat or hand. It is also preferable todetachably connect the band to the cup.

In the preferred form of the invention, gripping band 30 is attached tocup 11 by means of a passage 33 extending transversely through cupbottom 12, said band extending through said passage and hanging in aloop 34 If the band is detachably con nected to the cup, as preferred,the central portion of passage 33 may 'open out into the bottom ofsocket 16 as at 36, see FIGURE 3. With this arrangement, the bandextends through passage 33 and over the bottom of socket 16 which isactually the surface of cup bottom 12. In order to insert and removeband 30 from passage 33, cup 11 has a slot 38 therein opening outwardlyfrom said cup and communicating with the passage. Actually, slot 38 isin the form of two diametrically opposite slits 3i and 49 through theannular wall 13 of the cup and extending down to passage 33therebeneath. Sections 3% and 40 of slot 38 provide an entrance intopassage 33 for band 30.

When it is desired to' use the apparatus for batting practice, band 30is placed aroundbat 25 near the outer end to hold cup 11 on said bat.Ball 17 is placed in cup -.11, and is tossed 'or flipped upwardly intothe air The ball is flipped-high enough to enable the person holding thebat to swing the latter backwardly and then forwardly in time to connectwith the ball as it drops towards the ground. With this arrangement, theuser does not have to take either hand off the bat in order to toss theball upwardly so that if he is practicing holding the bat correctly, hedoes not have to change his grip in a hurry during the battingprocedure. The inclination 23 of groove 20 across the bottom of the cupactually tips the latter a little away from the handle of the bat. Thiseliminates the possibility of the ball being directed back towards thebatter when it is flipped into the air. The ball during the flippingaction usually leaves the cup when the bat is about level with theground and therefore travels substantially straight up into the air.

FIGURE 2 illustrates the game apparatus 16" applied to a hand 27. Band30 surrounds the hand and holds cup 11 in the palm thereof. This enablesthe person to catch a ball thrown to him in the cup and to throw .theball again from the cup. This requires considerable skill, since the cupis relatively small, and the ball must be caught directly in it if theball is to be retained. The person must catch the ball directly in thecup and draw the hand backwardly at the same time in order to preventthe ball from bouncing out of the cup. The ball may be caught and thrownin this manner even when the cup is applied to bat 25.

FIGURE 7 illustrates game apparatus 10a which is similar to apparatus10'. A band 30a is detachably se- 10 described above.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Ball game apparatus comprising in combination with a baseball bat, ashallow cup having a bottom and an annular wall, said wall having anannular rim, said bottom and wall being formed with a concave innersurface which radiates in a substantially continuous curve from a centreof said bottom to the annular rim of the cup, the depth of said cupbeing only sufiicient to receive without gripping a small portion of aball of the size of a standard baseball, and gripping means secured tothe cup at the bottom thereof for removably holding said cup on the batfor movement with the latter to enable a ball in the cup to be tossed byan upward motion of the bat into the air so that said ball may be struckby the bat;

2. Ball game apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the gripping meanscomprises an elastic band adapted to extend around and grip the bat.

3. Ball game apparatus comprising in combination with a baseball bat, ashallow cup for receiving without gripping a ball, said cup having abottom and an annular wall projecting outwardly from said bottom, thebottom of the cup being formed with a large groove extending across theouter surface thereof adapted to fit around the bat, and gripping meanssecured to the cup at the bottom thereof for holding said cup on the batwith the latter in the groove for movement with the bat to enable a ballin the cup to be tossed by an upward motion of the bat into the air sothat said ball may be struck by the bat.

4. Ball game apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the large grooveis longitudinally inclined relative to the cup bottom.

5. Ball game apparatus as claimed in claim 3 including a passageextending transversely through the cup bottom, and a slot formed in thecup communicating with the passage and opening out from the cup, andwherein the gripping means comprises an endless elastic band extendingthrough said passage, said band being inserted into and removed from thepassage by movement through said slot.

6. Ball game apparatus comprising a shallow cup= having a bottom and anannular wall, said wall having an annular rim, said bottom and wallbeing formed with a concave inner surface which radiates in asubstantially continuous curve from a centre of said bottom to theannular rim of the cup, the depth of said cup being only sufiicient toreceive Without gripping a small portion of a ball of the size of astandard baseball, said bottom having an outer surface formed with alarge groove extending thereacross and opening outwardly therefromsuitable for receiving a baseball bat with said bat fitting in andextending along the groove, and gripping means outside the cup andsecured to the bottom thereof adapted removably to hold said cup on abaseball bat fitting in said bottom groove-for movement with the bat tocatch a ball in the cup or to throw a ball from said cup.

7. Ball game apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the large grooveis inclined relative to the cup bottom in a direction adapted to extendlongitudinally of said baseball bat.

8. Ball game apparatus comprising a shallow cup having a bottom and anannular wall, said wall having an annular rim, said bottom and wallbeing formed with a concave inner surface which radiates in asubstantially continuous curve from a centre of said bottom to theannular rim of the cup, the depth of said cup being only sufficient toreceive without grippinga'small portion of a ball of the size of astandard baseball, a passage extending transversely through the cupbottom, a slot formed in the cup communicating with the passage andopening out from the cup, and an endless elastic band extending throughsaid passage, said band being inserted into and removed from the passageby movement through said slot, and said band being adapted. removably tohold said cup on an article for movement with the latter to catch a ballin the cup or to throw a ball from said cup.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DELBERT B. LOWE,Primary Exalniner.

6. BALL GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A SHALLOW CUP HAVING A BOTTOM AND ANANNULAR WALL, SAID WALL HAVING AN ANNULAR RIM, SAID BOTTOM AND WALLBEING FORMED WITH A CONCAVE INNER SURFACE WHICH RADIATES IN ASUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY CURVE FROM A CENTRE OF SAID BOTTOM TO THEANNULAR RIM OF THE CUP, THE DEPTH OF SAID CUP BEING ONLY SUFFICIENT TORECEIVE WITHOUT GRIPPING A SMALL PORTION OF A BALL OF THE SIZE OF ASTANDARD BASEBALL, SAID BOTTOM HAVING AN OUTER SURFACE FORMED WITH ALARGE GROOVE EXTENDING THEREACROSS AND OPENING OUTWARDLY THEREFROMSUITABLE FOR RECEIVING A BASEBALL BAT WITH SAID BAT FITTING IN ANDEXTENDING ALONG THE GROOVE, AND GRIPPING MEANS OUTSIDE THE CUP ANDSECURED TO THE BOTTOM THEREOF ADAPTED REMOVABLY TO HOLD SAID CUP ON ABASEBALL BAT FITTING IN SAID BOTTOM GROOVE FOR MOVEMENT WITH THE BAT TOCATCH A BALL IN THE CUP OR TO THROW A BALL FROM SAID CUP.